The best
training for wrestling is to wrestle. Five rounds of “Catch as Catch Can” ,
three times a week, is enough exertion with full recovery time for anyone to
give them a full body work out. However if you really wish to excel, improve,
or just go from beginner to winner, then to supplement your wrestling lessons
with regular weight training, is the real way ahead. Competitors in any sport,
always seek that little extra to give them an advantage over their opponents
and there is no doubt a muscular strong body, is truly a bonus to anyone
wishing to risk life and limb in the square ring. Why bother to add weight
training to your normal wrestling regimes? The answer is, if two men are
equally skilful, then the fittest, strongest, man will win the contest.

The founder
of the Olympic games, Baron Pierre do Coubertin wrote famously, “The important
thing in the Olympic games is not winning, but taking part. The essential thing
in life is not conquering, but fighting well”. The purpose of this article is
to try and help you fight well.

The best
wrestlers are taught by the best wrestling coaches. Sounds simple, but it is
true. A good coach will teach you how to avoid bad habits right from the start.
First you are taught the basics, how to fall without injury, how to develop
full body strength with exercises, endurance training, lasting power, good
principles of nutrition and the importance of recuperation, and finally the wrestling holds, locks, pressure points and
ring craft. Fighting psychology and the art of showmanship follows in time and
with experience.

The first
step on this rugged road is to have some inspiration. Every goal in life is at
first pictured in your mind. Find a hero, watch the matches, and it is good
news that wresting is definitely making a comeback since the cruel killing off
from T.V by Greg Dyke .Despite the viewers numbering more than those who watched
the cup final back in the day, wrestling on the television pulled in more customers.
Now it is definitely, making a come- back, watch out for announcements from
your local halls or stadium for the good news. The fans are returning and new
champions are emerging, to see new villains and to cheer for the “baby face”
when he turns the lost match into a win for fair play and sportsmanship.

The first
step in this rugged road is as we said inspiration. From recent history,
Strongmen and wrestlers have always had a close affinity. From Sandow,
Hackenschmidt, the Italian circus strong man
Clevio Massimo, who boasted that he could “Lift half a ton in the
wrestlers bridge”, through Man Mountain , El Primo or Primo Carnera who once
held the heavy weight boxing title of the world, Bert Assirati, a great strong
man as well as wrestler. More modern bodybuilders and iron men, the big armed
man Peter Deakin, John Lees, the uncrowned Mr Universe, Spencer Churchill, Earl
Maynard, 1964 Mr Universe, who switched regularly from bodybuilding to
wrestling and back, and even arch villain of them all Mick Mc Manus, came into
wrestling by first using weight training. These names are just a tiny sample,
modern examples would include Dwayne Johnson or The Rock, bodybuilder, wrestler
and now movie icon. There is no doubt about it, bodybuilding, weight training
is the way to your dream.

Next step,
after attending as many wrestling events as you can, find and join a good
gymnasium which includes a wrestling coach, of if lucky you may even find a
wrestling only club. Once joined, follow the instructions to the letter, taking
out insurance for injuries, wrestling is a tough game, perhaps the toughest of
all physical sports, certainly the oldest with Egyptian tombs depicting
hieroglyphics of wrestlers and wrestling holds.

Following
your coach’s advice, including the basics of how too fall, as most rings are
not as soft as the bouncing castle type of ring the US television grapplers
appear to prefer. Then come basic hold, throws, pressure points, locks, hooks,
and ring craft, the latter taking longer to learn than most believe. To
supplement this craft training, comes making the effort to improve your
physical condition, become fitter, stronger, more endurance and more muscular.
This brings us on to the extra effort of sticking to a weight training
schedule, training three times a week on full body workouts, with extra
nutrition to help build and sustain added growth and energy.

The staple
exercise for any boxer or wrestler is the much hated “road work” the regular
grind of running several miles a day early in the morning before breakfast is
allowed. To replace this unpopular form of endurance building, most fighters
now use machines in gyms for their running. It’s easier to go from the running
machine to the weights than face the elements. But if you really want to be
tough, it’s still a good idea to stick with the long-recognised benefits of
outdoor running, pounding the pavements. For the final decision, ask your coach
and follow his advice. Modern traffic with its fumes and the sheer danger of
running along a busy, may not be so good an idea.

So you want
to be a wrestler? You are learning the rough and tumble of grappling and the
multi various holds and throws. So now comes the suggested weight training
routine to build up power and physique. We recommend you train just three
sessions a week, with at least one day in-between workouts, you may also have
to decide when to train if your wrestling schedule also falls on the same day.
Remember the wrestling tuition takes precedence over all other advice.

WEIGHT
TRAINING ROUTINE FOR WRESTLING.

The schedule
suggested is to be followed for about six to eight weeks, after which you can
change it around, using similar exercises for the main body parts i.e. variations
of sets, repetitions and actual exercises. Always begin your exercises with a
first light set to warm up the muscles, then as you add sets, also add a
gradual increase of weights, so your last set is the hardest to complete the
number of repetitions suggested. Take just enough time between exercise to
retain normal breathing, then carry on with the schedule. You can if you wish
also warm up with some light calisthenics

Upright
Rowing with barbell, a warming up exercise, also to work your forearms, biceps,
deltoids and trapezius muscles. 3 sets of 10 repetitions (from here on as
“reps”)

Exercise
Two.

The best exercise in the world for
basic chore- strength, muscle building and overall endurance. Squats.

Using a
barbell either taken out of racks or lifted to your shoulders by two training partners/buddies.
To help with balance some use two discs to stand on with their heels. Do not
bounce in the low position, as long as the top of thighs go down to parallel
with the floor its ok. Reps are higher than most exercises to gain all round
benefits, so we suggest 3 sets of 12 reps. When the exercise becomes easy, then
add more weight to the barbell. Make sure you have spotters around, that’s
training partners ready to lift the weight off your shoulders if for
example you fail to complete the lift.

Exercise
Three

Dumbell Flying

Ignoring the
above advice about resting, in this case and only this case, immediately lay
down onto your bench and with a dumbbell in each hand, perform 3 sets of
dumbbell flying, an exercise to expand your chest and build up mighty pectorals.
It is a good idea to slightly keep the elbows unlocked to avoid strain to the
elbow joint. After the three sets, now
recover your breath to continue with

Exercise
Four.

Dumbbell Rowing.

You will
find you can use quite a good weight for this exercise, designed to develop the
biceps, rear deltoids and the latissimus muscles, or the “lats” these muscles
will help with grappling and pulling your opponent towards you. Try 4 sets of 8
reps, perform by using one arm at a time, bend over and rest your non-
exercising arm on the bench and pull the dumbbell up and back as high as you
can, immediately swop arms and repeat.

Exercise
Five

Alternate Dumbbell presses.

This
exercise is done standing and in see saw fashion, i.e.as you lower one arm, you
raise the other. Make sure dumbbells are secure. Great exercise for arms,
triceps and shoulders. Try 3 x 8

Exercise
Six.

Dead Lifts

not named because of how it makes
you feel, but because you are lifting a “dead” weight, ie. No jerking or prior
movement. Just stand behind a loaded barbell, use the alternate grip hold, ie.
One hand facing front, one hand facing rear, this way stops the bar rolling out
of your hands. make sure you use your legs in the lift and keep your back/spine
as straight/upright as you can to avoid low back strain. Begin with light
weights, to warm up, then gradually add poundage. use low reps of 6 to 8 and
sets up to 5. This exercise is the daddy of them all, builds total body power
essential when fighting in the ring or using throws.

That is it,
a brief, but tough schedule, if you find it easy, then you are not using enough
poundage, so add more weights, later you can substitute exercises, eg. Front
squats for back squats, bench presses with barbell instead of dumbbells,
barbell curls for biceps. The list is endless and your coach or gym owner will
be able to advise.

Finally, two
exercises, without weights that are essential to wrestling are. One wrestlers -bridges,
lay on the floor facing up, lift your body so it is supported by just your
heels and top of head. There by making your neck do the work. You can
strengthen the neck with self- resistance exercises, twist and turn your head
at the same time resist the movement with your hand for up to 15 reps.

The other
great move to include at any time is called “Hyperextensions” here you lay face
down on the bench so the top of your body overhangs, get a partner to sit on
your heels to prevent you over turning, then lift your upper body, like a hinge
to work the lower spine muscles. Do just two sets of 15 reps, this can be done
any time. Have I forgotten anything? How about sit ups?? No never do sit ups or
leg raises with STRAIGHT LEGS, if you wish work for the abdominals, use
“crunches” where you just curl up your body for about six inches from the
floor, hold, tense the abdominal muscles, then lower, with spine always bent.
Again, an anytime anywhere exercise.